Bedtime Stories
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Holiday is held up in the office and Rex won't go to sleep until someone reads to him. Six/Rex father/son fluff. Takes place when Rex is younger. Now a series of oneshots!
1. The Neverending Story

**Happy Father's Day my home skillet biscuits (It's a phrase I like to use...don't judge!). Tis the season for Six and Rex fluff, no? Oh, and I'm NOT talking about the "Sex" pairing! *shudders* Graverobbing much? No, I'm referring to the awesomeness that is father/son Six/Rex! You all know you love it! It's just too dang adorable! Anyway, this little piece of fluff takes place when Rex is younger (because young Rex is SO CUTE!). Holiday is held up in the office and Rex won't go to sleep until someone reads to him. Contains some bits and pieces of The Neverending Story. Enjoy! ^_^**

SIX'S POV

Where was Holiday? Six rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous! She was never late like this! The kid was starting to get impatient! He glanced back at Rex, sitting on the bed, clad in light blue dinosaur pajamas. His eyes were wide and hopeful. A large book was sitting next to him on the bed.

"Where is she?" He chirped for the thousandth time. Six took a deep breath, trying to clear his agitation, before replying.

"I already told you, she's probably being held up by some extra patients." He noticed that Rex's eyes were starting to droop. "If you're tired, you can just go to sleep you know."

Rex shook his head stubbornly. "No way! Atreyu just left on the Great Quest! I gotta know what happens next!"

"Why not read it on your own then?" Six asked, glancing back down the hallway. 'Come on...'

"It's not the same! I like it when people read to me! It's kinda like having parents." Rex replied, stretching his limbs and yawning. "At least it's what I _think_ it would be like..." The statement wasn't self-pitying. It was stated as if it were the simple truth.

Six groaned a little to himself. Did the kid _have_ to talk like that? Despite years of training to master his emotions, words like those always sent a pang of empathy through the stoic man's veins. He never showed it of course! Still...

"Did your parents read to you, Six?" Rex asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Don't remember." Six replied curtly, looking once more down the hall.

"I guess that's something we have in common." Rex ran his finger along the corner of the book, watching the pages flip as he did so.

There it was again! He knew the kid didn't mean to do it but it still made him feel bad. Six glanced toward Rex again. The kid was yawning widely by this point and he was shaking his head in order to keep from zonking out. Breathing an inwards sigh, Six walked over. "What page are you on?"

Rex's eyes widened with astonishment. "_You_ wanna read to me?"

"If it'll get you to go to sleep." Six sat down on the bed next to Rex and picked up the book, The Neverending Story. 'Huh...at least it's not that awful vampire novel...' He started to read. He was only in the fourth paragraph, where Atreyu was stopping to eat, when Rex interrupted.

"What's a grass-seed cake, Six?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"It says that Atreyu was eating some grass-seed cakes. What are they?"

"Cakes made out of grass-seed." Six said before going back to reading. He got to the part where Atreyu was starting to have his dreams when Rex stopped him again.

"Are buffalo really purple, Six?"

"No. They're brown."

"That's boring..."

Six continued reading about Atreyu's travels but was soon stopped again at the point where the glass people of Eribo, who made artifacts from starlight, were being described.

"What can be made from starlight, Six?"

"Nothing. Starlight can't be molded." Six replied. 'Does he always ask this many questions?'

Rex was unusually silent when Six read through the next few pages that described the broken bark trolls and the Nothing. He was staring off into space. 'Probably trying to figure out what absolute nothing looks like...' Truth be told, Six himself couldn't even picture it! He continued to read before suddenly stopping. He remembered what happened in this next part: Atreyu's horse, Artax was going to sink into the swamp during their search for Morla the Aged One. He glanced at Rex. "Want to stop here?"

Rex shook his head vigorously. "No! Keep going! I wanna see what Morla the Aged One is!" He said eagerly. That was when Six noticed that Rex had moved closer so that he was leaning against him. Part of him wanted to push him off and tell him to sit up straight. The other, more dominant part of him decided to just let him be.

Just as Six had predicted, Rex was sniffling and wiping his face by the end of the part with Artax. "P-Poor Artax..." He murmured.

"You know it's not real." Six said, surprised that Rex was actually _crying_ over a fictional talking horse.

"I know...but it _feels_ real!" Rex replied, wiping his face once more before snuggling up against Six again.

Six watched Rex's eyes widen slightly when Morla the Aged One was described as a giant tortoise.

"Hey, Six! Can I have a pet turtle?"

"No."

By the time they got to the end of the chapter, Rex was almost completely asleep. Six stood up and put the book on the table next to the bed. He'd never admit it out loud but...he had kinda liked reading to Rex. It had been ages since he had read anything simple and fictional, and somehow Rex seemed to make the whole idea complete. He started toward the door.

"Could you tuck me in?" Rex called after him drowsily. "Holiday always tucks me in..."

Six hesitated for a moment before walking back over. Rex laid down on the bed and Six pulled the covers over him. He didn't ruffle his hair or kiss him goodnight. _That_ would have been stretching things a little too much! He just nodded a farewell and walked toward the door.

Six couldn't be sure if what Rex said next was because of sleep-induced stupor, some weird split-second idea, or if he really meant it. All he knew was that Rex called out, very clearly: "Night, Daddy!"

Six froze in mid-step, his eyes widening under his shades. Did Rex seriously just... He spun around and gaped a at the almost-asleep kid. It took a few moments to fully compose himself. He took a deep breath and replied, in a much softer and gentler voice than he usually used: "Goodnight, Rex."

As he walked down the deserted hallways, Six just couldn't shake that warm feeling that was spreading from his chest throughout his body. He even allowed himself a small smile. 'Daddy...' He never would've thought that he'd be called that... It felt kinda...nice...

**Why use The Neverending Story? Well, that's the book I'm reading currently! I haven't heard the story since third grade when my teacher read it to us and recently started it again. LOVE it! ^_^ I dunno, it seems like a good story to read to your kid before bed because it's just so good. Anyway, I hope Six wasn't too OOC. Again, I believe that the barrier between sap and serious is a VERY thin one so I think I got him pretty nicely! Any flames will be used to burn Van Kleiss the pedophile. Happy early Father's Day!**


	2. Mary Poppins

**You know, I got such positive feedback on the first chapter, I decided to extend it into a series of oneshots. After all, The Neverending Story isn't the only book out there! ^_^ There is a world of unexplored possibilities here. I'm only surprised that I didn't decide to continue with this sooner! Well, the concept is the same: Six is reading Rex a bedtime story. *sigh* It's funny how the simplest of storylines end up being the ones we love the most...**

SIX'S POV

Six should have realized that that night reading The Neverending Story would not pass without consequences. After that evening, the week went on normally. Then, when Six was walking toward the Zoo for some before-bed training, Holiday stopped him.

"Yes, Holiday?" He asked, to which Holiday smiled.

"We finished The Neverending Story. He's starting a new book tonight."

Six raised an eyebrow. Of what significance was this? "And...?"

"He's asking for you." With that, she pressed a book into his hands and walked off.

Six blinked dumbly for a moment before looking down at the front cover. 'Mary Poppins...' He allowed the tiniest of smiles to come to his face. He remembered One reading to him from the Mary Poppins series when he was a kid... Quickly, however, he regained his composure and started toward Rex's room. 'I suppose I'll just wake up early to catch up on my training...' He rationalized to himself.

When he opened the door to Rex's room, the kid was sitting upright on his bed, an excited expression on his face which melted to one of relief. "You _did_ come!"

Six paused briefly before walking over and sitting down on the bed. "What made you think that I wouldn't?" He asked calmly.

Rex shrugged his shoulders. "I just wasn't sure you'd want to."

Six frowned, not sure what to say to that. True, the kid's worries weren't unfounded. The aggro-ninja wasn't exactly the type to like reading bedtime stories to a child. Instead of replying, he opened the book. "Before I start, I have one condition."

"Condition?" Rex tilted his head.

"I don't want to hear the term 'aggro-nanny' come from your mouth _at all_ while I am reading this to you."

"Darn..."

…...

It was the fourth day of this new arrangement and Six was now reading Chapter 4- Miss Lark's Andrew. By this point, it was easy to become immersed in his childhood favorite. However, he often found it necessary to make a few adlibbed changes to the details and dialogue. (Some of those British exclamations and statements would have been enough to make Five to fall on the ground laughing if she heard Six utter them.)

Rex, as always, felt the need to ask questions during this chapter. As always, his first one came within the first two pages: "Hey, Six! Can I have a dog?"

"No."

Rex listened quietly as Six read about the pampered pet, Andrew, and his wish to be a normal dog. "He's kinda like me, except he has a better room." He chirped.

Six smiled dryly at this comment as he continued. As he read, however, a sobering realization entered his mind. Now that he thought about it, Rex _was_ very similar to Andrew in a lot of ways. He felt separated from others, isolated, and outcast. It cast a bit of a shadow over a chapter that Six had once found so humorous. As he got to the part where Andrew was asking Mary for directions after leaving home on his own, Rex spoke up again.

"He even sneaks out like me!" He grinned brightly. "What a cool dog!" When Six started to go into detail on how flustered and scared Miss Lark was, he frowned. "Hey, Six?"

"Yes?"

"Do you and Holiday get worried like that whenever _I_ sneak out?"

Six paused for a moment before replying carefully: "We don't go running around the front of the building calling for the police if that's what you..."

Rex shook his head. "No, I know _that_. But, do you guys worry when I do that?"

Six sighed. This was supposed to be a story, not a discussion of emotions. 'Ah well. Might as well give him a short answer and hope he doesn't pursue it any further.' "Yes." He replied. To his surprise, Rex didn't say a word on the subject afterward, though he had a very thoughtful expression on his face. The kid rested his head on Six's shoulder and hugged his arm as he listened.

The mood lightened considerably as Andrew began negotiating with Miss Lark, telling her firmly to let his mutt friend come to live with them and to _stop_ making him wear overcoats and go to the hairdresser. At the end of the chapter, Rex was laughing.

"I don't know who I like more, Andrew or Willoughby!"

'Sheesh...these fictional canines are becoming a bad influence...'

Rex looked at the title of the next chapter: The Dancing Cow. "Ooh! Can you keep reading, Six?"

Six closed the book and stood up. "One chapter per night, remember?" Secretly though, he did want to continue.

Rex pouted and lay down. "Kay..." His eyes were drifting shut.

'Typical kid. He still wants to keep going even though he can hardly hold his head up.' Six rolled his eyes as he leaned over and pulled the covers over the tired child. "Goodnight, Rex."

As he opened the door, he heard Rex's muffled reply: "Night, Andrew." He smirked to himself as he walked down the hallway. Every night, for the past three nights, Rex would tiredly say goodnight to him. Each time, the groggy kid would say something different and random, usually something having to do with the chapter. It was never "Night, Six.".

Six would never admit it out loud, but he really hoped that he would soon read a chapter that would make Rex call him "Daddy" again...

**Well? You likey? I hope you likey, because I likey! ^_^ I'm gonna like this. This will be a good chance to spread my literary passion while writing big, fluffy, father/son bunnies! Please review, but don't flame! Flames make little Rex cry! *looks at first chapter* Jeez! It's been almost a year since I typed the first chapter! Maybe it's something about the month of June... Ah well. Peace out!**

**PS- Can't you see Six loving the Mary Poppins series? I don't know why, but it seems like a book that he would have loved as a kid!**


	3. The Book of Three

**I've had the entire Chronicles of Prydain sitting on my shelf for ages. A few months ago, I decided to actually read them. Oh my gosh, I fell completely in love! Heck with the Disney version of The Black Cauldron. This series is the real deal! Taran is more flawed and interesting, Eilonwy is more feisty and strong, Fflewddur is funnier and more complex, and Gurgi is so much more noble, loyal, and adorable! Everything's better all around. So, what better theme for this next chapter? Enjoy!**

SIX'S POV

"Hey, Six?" Rex sat up and held up the book his handler was currently reading to him: The Book of Three. "I saw Holiday reading a book today. Could we read that one when we're done with Prydain?"

Six took the book and sat down. "That depends. Which book was it?"

"Um...I think it was called Brave New World."

The ninja's eyebrow shot up. "Holiday was reading Brave New World?"

"Yep."

"On purpose?"

"Uh huh. So, can we read it?"

Six flipped to the marked page in the small, brightly bound book. "No."

Rex pouted. "Why not?"

"Because you're a useful asset to Providence and I don't want your mind to rot."

The kid still looked completely confused as his guardian began to read. As the words came, however, his questions about Brave New World were utterly forgotten. They were on Chapter 2: The Mask of the King.

Six had never read this particular book before and was very impressed. The writing style had the simplicity that one would expect in a children's book. Yet, it had a level of sophistication that told him that Lloyd Alexander had a certain degree of respect for his readers. They were only thirteen pages in, and the basis of the story was already established.

At the beginning of this chapter, Taran was looking for the escaped oracular pig, Hen Wen. Of course, Rex felt the need to repeat the question he had asked the previous night: "Six, can I have a phychic pig?"

"No."

"A regular one?"

"No."

Rex listened with a characteristic expression of childish nervousness and anticipation as Taran's trek through the forest started to grow more surreal and creepy. His eyes became wide as saucers as the Horned King appeared. As Six described the evil warrior as a bare-chested, crimson-cloaked man with a horned human skull as a mask, a shiver went down his spine. "Thank goodness there aren't any Evos like that..." He muttered.

Six decided not to tell the truth and say that, logically, there was every possibility of running into an Evo similar to what was described in the book. 'No need to give the kid nightmares.' He read on to where Taran was saved from the Horned King's henchman by a gray-haired man who turned out to be the great lord Gwydion. Rex's eyes bugged out as Taran's shock at the knight's plain appearance and age was described.

"This is so weird..."

"Hm?" Six looked at him questioningly.

"I'm seeing so many similarities between me and Taran. He doesn't know his parents, wants to be a hero, and was saved by a skilled old person!"

'Skilled old person...?' "When were you saved by an old person?" He asked, a slight edge entering his voice.

Rex seemed to notice the change in Six's tone and wisely shut his mouth. "Never mind..." He squeaked.

'That's what I thought.'

Six continued to read through Taran's conversation with Gwydion concerning Hen Wen. At the end, the pair ate dinner at the urging of Gwydion's golden-maned horse, Melyngar, before going to sleep.

"Six, can I have a-"

"No." Six closed the book and went through the motions of tucking Rex in. As he turned away, however, the kid grabbed his arm.

"Hey, Six...could you check my closet really quick?"

Six raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Rex glanced downward. "The Horned King freaked me out..."

"Rex, even if there _was_ a Horned King, he wouldn't be hiding in your closet."

"How do you know? He could be a pedo!"

Both eyebrows shot up and Six's mouth dropped open. "Where did you hear that word?"

"Captain Callan. I heard him talking about someone named Jacob Black..."

Six resisted the urge to facepalm. "I'll check your closet..." He stood up and walked over to the closet door, opening it and stepping aside for Rex to see. "Nothing."

Rex shrugged. "Hey. You can't be too careful with creepy masked people!" He fell back on the pillows. "Night, Six!"

Six breathed a sigh and rolled his eyes as he left the room. "Goodnight, Rex." 'Wow. He was actually awake enough to call me by my name.' The previous night, Rex had called him "Dallben", the elderly man who cared for Taran in the book. 'How old does he think I am, anyway?'

**Sorry if this sucked. I just realized that the unfinished file was on my computer and decided to finish it. I seriously need to get more speedy with these updates... I'm thinking that the next book will either be A Wrinkle in Time or The Hobbit. Or, it may be something else. It depends on my mood. Hm... Maybe Holiday will encourage Six to read Rex some poetry... Anyway, please review! Flames burn books. You don't want to burn Rex's books, do you? Peace out! ^_^**


End file.
